Draft Day

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Happy Saturday and I hope everyone had a great week.

This week was a uniquely strong one for Branded and I dare say for the hospitality technology market.

Readers of the H^2 are fully aware that Branded subscribes to the theory that “best-in-suite” will beat “best-in-class” every day of the week (and twice on Sundays). Our investment thesis remains focused emerging technology & innovation companies that are allies to operators and are working to optimize margins and address the most important pain points and opportunities.

We call such tech & innovation companies “operator-centric” and believe they will be the winners in connection with the digital transformation that's underway.

Hospitality businesses need to take care of their staff so that their staff can take care of their guests. Technology & innovation companies need to do the same, take care of their staff so that their staff can take care of operators (which enables operators to take care of their staff, so that their staff take care of their guests).

Yes, the redundancy above was both intentional and necessary. ??

Here’s a quick refresher on a few of Branded’s beliefs and convictions:

·?The hospitality industry is NOT a technology industry. We’re a people, food and service industry that is tech-enabled and tech-supported.

·?We’re comprised the most JIT (Just-In-Time) people of any industry and we’re focused on the here & now b/c our guests are uniquely and most personally consuming what we manufacture on-premises (regardless of whether the guest is consuming our offerings on-premises or off-premises).

·?We prefer not to let perfection be the enemy of good enough when it comes to our tech-stacks b/c (as I wrote above) we’re not in the technology business.

·?We’re accused (correctly) of not being long-term thinkers & planners b/c competition for guests is fierce as a result of the saturation of the restaurant market and even if allocating time & capital to long-term planning would (could?) prove valuable, we can’t afford to do it if it negatively impacts our short-term and medium-term results & performance.

For all the above reasons, and as Popeye-the-Sailor famously said, “I (we) Yam What I (we) Yam & Dats What I (we) Yam!”

Despite Branded’s conviction that “best-in-suit” beats “best-in-class,” we remain committed to identifying, vetting, and investing in point-solutions or ‘features,’ as these companies that address a single issue are often called.

Why invest in "best-in-class" when we believe "best-in-suite" will win? Fantastic question.

CONTINUE READING HERE

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the action and announcements this week by several of Branded’s portfolio companies didn’t influence and drive the theme for the Top of Fold.

Kiosk ordering provider Bite raises $9M as kiosks hit 'inflection point'

From the article: Kiosk ordering provider Bite has raised $9 million to help it grow, the company announced Tuesday.

Dynamic pricing startup Juicer raises $5.3M

From the article: Dynamic pricing startup Juicer has raised $5.3 million as it looks to bring its pricing optimization technology to more restaurants. The seed funding found was led by venture capital firm York IE.

Leasecake Secures $10 Million Series A Extension to Fuel Growth and Reinforce Market Dominance

From the article: Leasecake is proud to announce the closure of our $10 million Series A extension round, a testament to our commitment to simplifying and safeguarding the complexities faced by multi-unit operators.

CONTINUE READING HERE

Readers of the Hospitality Headline, that are interested in learning more about Branded’s portfolio companies, investment strategies and future opportunities, are invited to explore becoming part of our Access Hospitality Network.

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In today’s episode of Hospitality Hangout, Michael Schatzberg, “The Restaurant Guy,” and Jimmy Frischling, “The Finance Guy,” are joined by Ricky Richardson, CEO of Eggs Up Grill.

Ricky discusses the brand’s origins and rapid expansion since he took over. He provides background on Eggs Up Grill being started by a third-generation diner operator and becoming a 100% franchised system. Ricky highlights the importance of maintaining a consistent brand culture as they grow through franchising, including implementing a new proprietary digital training platform. He also shares an “untold story” from his international restaurant experience involving an unconventional way to access water during an opening.

You can tune in on?Spotify,?Apple,?Amazon,?iHeart, or your favorite listening platform

Who made the B List?

Click HERE to find out!

MARKETING

Why You Should Be Thankful For Negative Feedback

By: Rev Ciancio, Head of Revenue Marketing at Branded Hospitality Ventures

Discover the secret sauce behind Handcraft Burgers and Brew Handcraft Burgers and Brew's customer experience success! By harnessing the power of real-time reviews with Marqii and guest feedback through Ovation, they've turned salt into satisfaction. Find out how these tools are not just game-changers but essential lifelines for restaurants navigating today's competitive dining landscape.

CONTINUE READING HERE

That’s it for today!

See you next week, (about the) same bat-time, same bat-channel.

It takes a village!

Jimmy Frischling

Branded Hospitality Ventures

[email protected]

235 Park Ave South, 4th Fl | New York, NY 10003

Branded Hospitality Ventures ("Branded") is an investment and advisory platform at the intersection of food service, technology, innovation and capital. As experienced hospitality owners and operators, Branded brings value to its portfolio companies through investment, strategic counsel, and its deep industry expertise and connections.

Learn more about Branded here: Branded At-A-Glance